The city of Moscow's government has announced plans to replace some of the email software made by Microsoft on its PCs with software developed inside of Russia.
According to Bloomberg:
The city will initially replace Microsoft's Exchange Server and Outlook on 6,000 computers with an e-mail system installed by state-run carrier Rostelecom PJSC, Artem Yermolaev, head of information technology for Moscow, told reporters Tuesday. Moscow may expand deployment of the new software, developed by Russia's New Cloud Technologies, to as many as 600,000 computers and servers, and may also consider replacing Windows and Office, Yermolaev said.
This move echoes an overall effort by Russian president Vladimir Putin to use PC software created domestically due to security concerns about using products developed in foreign countries.
"We want the money of taxpayers and state-run firms to be primarily spent on local software," Communications Minister Nikolay Nikiforov told reporters. From 2017, government entities including the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service, General Prosecutor's Office and Audit Chamber "will be tightening their grip" on state institutions that aren't switching to domestic alternatives, he said.
Microsoft has not commented on Moscow's decision to use its own software instead of Exchange Server and Outlook.
